Just got home from having my new magnaflow high flow cats and magnaflow 4 inch tips installed. To my surprise i got a p0420 code pop up. This really maked me sick.

 

Did you hard reset the ECU yet? Most advise a hard reset after any modifications.

 

Yeah i hard reset it still p0420

 

Check (LT - long term) fuel trims, both banks, at idle & 2500rpm.

Also, make sure all welds are gas tight!! (And no damage to any O2 sensor.)

 

I am taking itback tomorrow. The welds look horrible i bet it has a air leak cos its throwing a p171 code as well with restricted preformamce. I also noticed when i punch the gas down it makes a noise like a churp. Itnever done this before. This is sad i showed them pics and everything how to do it. I guess it fell on deaf ears at my expense

 

Ya may either have an exhaust leak before the upstream O2 sensor or the O2 sensor harness is not plugged in correctly.

 

What a lame, keep us updated , hope things will be OK

 

Update i am no longer sick. Now i am pissed. I went to shop explained it had a exhaust leak he gave me bad attitude and said no it didnt. His ear is golden. He refused to do anything to the car. Said he knew that cat conv was too small for this car. I ask if he installed it just as i had instructed him. I showef him pics of the install. Je said no je installed ot how its supppsed to be installed. He drilled holes in my new cats and installed my o2 sensors in the cats. So i guess i screwed. I will have to order new cats start. All over somewhere else and just sue him

 

Oh for the love of gawd - that blows! Sorry to hear about your issue - yep better start over and find a better shop for sure.

 

I would speak with the shops owner, and next stop is BBB, the shop technically broke a federal law and altered an emissions component.

no cat is suppose to be drilled or modified through the honeycomb

Let the shop know that and usethe leverage to get them to buy you the new ones.

 

I went through the same thing with several shops of them saying those cats would not work. Luckily I found a shop that specialized in race setups and was familiar with the magna flow cats and used them often. He was more expensive but knew a ton about exhaust setups. The check engine light has been on for a long time on our 01, it went out immediately after the magna flow install.

 

Believe it or not this guy was the owner. He was a real piece of work. He basically refused to do anything else with the car. Funny this is when I went in he said he had never done a jaguar like this before. So I went over step by step how I wanted it even with pics. After I went in today he threw his fit say he does the cats this way all the time, has 25 yrs experience. He said it has no leaks I asked how he could tell. He said by listening he could tell. Now he never raised the hood to listen or never even removed the under body plastic to listen.

I know I am screwed and my only hope is small claims court. I just need to order new cats and start searchging for a place that knows what they are doing. To beat all this guy wasn't the one willing to do it for 30.00 a side. I went with a more rep. business and paid twice as much....lol

 

That was very, very important Info you gave, I hope they understood it.

 

pay with a credit card? if so I hope he is familar with Charge backs.
Document document.

I never pay for anything major in cash. I always put it on a card for protection.

 

I paid with my bank debit/credit card.. does that count?

 

What a tool! I have never seen anyone drill the cat itself and put the 02 in it? How much did he charge? If it was 60 a side 120$ I think that's the problem. Its a lot of work to do the cats from the exhaust manifold, I always look at the welds before they bring it off the rack.

Sorry you had such an issue. I would defiantly bring the guy to small claims court, people do this because they think they can get away with it.

 

Yeah he charge me 120 for the cats and 80 for 2 magnaflow 4inch tips installed. It took him 3 hrs to do it.

He wouldn't let me in the shop while the work was being done said he has been busted by osha for it.

When I got home I looked under it and the welds looked like a 10 yr old had done them.
This shop is suppose to be the best in the area!

 

Yea red flag, I had a shop and no OSHA rules about customers in the shop. I luckily have a great guy if I am not doing it myself. I always tell them up front I want to see it before it comes off the rack and I pay. If that is a problem I walk, some exhaust shops cant weld for S#! I always tig everything myself but all your shops are going to Mig it. You can make a big mess with a MIG if you don't know how to run it.

 

Ill have to post some pics tomorrow. Get this the cats were 2 1/4. I fiqure they would slide a pipe over it and weld it to keep it the orginal size. But oh no they slide like a 2 inch or smaller pipe into the cat and exhaust and welded it in. I amnot the smartest but doesnt this restrict airflow and make the whole exhaust basically a 2 inch exhaust now?

 

You can charge back as long as you didn't pay using your pin. If he ran it as a credit card, then it went through the visa,MC credit card network and you just call your bank and dispute it saying that the service performed was improperly done and that the shop refuses to look or fix it. They have a form you fill out, some banks even have them available online.

Here's a quick read about chargebacks and how to use them in your favor. Cheaper and less time than doing small claims, which you can do secondary if they don't decide in your favor.

Happy Living - When and how to use a credit card chargeback